Guide to Chinese New Year Goodies 2018 (and an Angmoh Lo Hei)

One of the best things about Chinese New Year is the festive goodies. Although these days you can get them at any time of the year, it is a real treat to eat them during CNY. These are some recommendations for your consideration:

GWP’s ingot-shaped pineapple tarts are the best I’ve eaten this year. They are not cheap at $38 nett for a box of 10, but the pastry is very thin and buttery, and pineapple jam is rich and gao; it’s really irresistible. I brought a box home at 10pm, and in less than 12 hours, they were all gone.

Local shop New East Kim Tee has been around for more than 40 years, since the 70s, and has expanded to four outlets including Toa Payoh Lorong 8, 51 Old Airport Road, and Potong Pasir Avenue 1. They still maintain the traditional way by using handmade bak kwa grilled over charcoal. The distinguishing aspect of their bak kwa is that it’s thinner and sweeter than other brands’, so it’s suitable for children and the elderly.

I’m a fan of the local bakery, best known for their lychee martini cake, whose continual and assiduous innovation in its cakes and pastries is so delightful that they were on our Best Desserts in 2016.

Bakerzin launches four different flavours of pineapple tarts: original ($23.80, 18pc), XO liquor ($32 18pcs), Chrysanthemum, and hae bee hiam. They also come as an assorted box ($23.80, 18pc, 6pc/flavour) without the XO flavour.

Their assorted cookies ($23.80/box) include long jing tea cookie, cereal salted egg yolk cookie, Thai milk tea cookie, and 5 other flavours, rounding up to 8 flavours in a box as an auspicious sign.

The Carvery, the buffet restaurant of Park Hotel Alexandra, will be priced at $46++ onwards and $58++ onwards during 22 Jan to 2 March. But what is exciting is that this year, they offer pulled pork lohei ($38.80, 4-6 persons), available for dine-in and takeaway. The pork is marinated in thyme, rosemary, juniper berries, and bay leaves first before it is roasted for four hours. Other ingredients: fried fish skin, caramelised walnuts, granny smith apple strips, red cabbage, orange pearls, crisp tortilla crackers and fried pickled ginger; drizzled in olive oil, and white balsamic peach dressing.